Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	day_n	let_v	sabbath_n	1,174	5	9.6962	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12197	The saints safetie in evill times Delivered at St Maries in Cambridge the fift of November, upon occasion of the Povvder-Plot. Whereunto is annexed a passion-sermon, preached at Mercers Chappel London upon Good-Friday. As also the happinesse of enjoying Christ laid open at the funerall of Mr Sherland late recorder of Northampton. Together with the most vertuous life and heavenly end of that religious gentleman. By R. Sibbes D.D. master of Katherine-Hall in Cambridge, and preacher at Grayes-Inne London.	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.	1634 (1634)	STC 22507; ESTC S102406	165,121	608

the soule Being justified by faith wee have peace with God Those that are hurried in their life with false doubts and perplexities What shall become of mee what shall I eate and what shall I drinke c Though they use lawfull meanes yet commit not themselves to God as they should for where there is a dependance upon God in the use of meanes there is an holy silence in the party All stubborne and tumultuous thoughts are hushed in him My soule keepe silence to the Lord saith David and trust in God why art thou so vexed within me still there is a quieting of the soule where there is trust Can that man put confidence in God that prowles for himselfe and thinkes he hath no Father in heaven to provide for him Doth that childe trust his father that besides going to schoole thinkes what hee shall put on how he shall be provided for and what inheritance he shall have hereafter Alas this is the Fathers care and belongs not to him Wheresoever these distractions are there can be no yeelding up of the soule to God in truth There be two affections which mightily disturbe the peace of Christians 1. Sinfull cares and 2. Sinfull feares to both which we have remedies prescribed in the Scripture 1. Feare not little flocke saith Christ for it is your fathers will to give you a kingdome As if he had said Will not hee that gives you heaven give you other things In nothing be carefull saith the Apostle that is in a distracting manner but doe your duty and then let your requests bee made knowne to God and the peace of God shall keepe you and therefore were we redeemed from the hands of our enemies that wee might serve him without feare all our dayes A Christian should keepe an inward Sabbath in his soule and goe quietly on in doing all the good hee can what a fearfull thing is it to see men lie groveling in the earth and live without God in the world troubling and ●urmoyling themselves how to compasse this thing and that thing as if they had no God to seeke unto nor no promise to relye upon Againe where this committing of a mans selfe and his soule to God is there will bee a looking to God onely in all a man doth not fearing any danger or opposition that may befall him from without as the three yong men said to Ne●uc●adnezar Our God can keepe us if he will But what if hee will not Yet know O King that wee will not worship nor fall downe before thy Image So it is with a Christian foreseeing some danger disgrace or displeasure of this or that man which may befall him he resolveth notwithstanding in despight of all to commit himselfe to God in doing his duty come what will whether God will save him or no hee will not breake the peace of his conscience or doe the least evill hee is no foole but foresees what may befall him for well doing this inconvenience may come that trouble yet he sets light by these he hath an eye to heaven and sees more good to himself in the Creator that gave him his beeing of nothing and more good for the time to come that will make him a blessed Saint in heaven then there can be ill in the creature therefore come what can come his heart is fixed to trust the Lord and rather than hee will displease him desert his honour and his cause or doe any unworthy action he will commit himselfe to God in the greatest dangers The ground hereof is this A Christian is the wisest man in the world and hee understands well enough that God is Alsufficient hee sees there is a greater good in God than hee can have in the Creature and counts it madnesse to offend God to please the creature because there is a greater evill to bee expected from God than from the Creature though it were the greatest Monarch in the world considering therefore that he hath his best good in his union with God and in keeping his peace with him hee will not breake with him for any Creature And thus hee doth wisely for hee knowes if hee lose his life he shall have a better life of God than hee hath in his body for God is his life God is his soule and his comfort and hee hath his beeing from God hee is his Creator and hee hath a better being in God when hee dyes than he had when he lived for our beeing in God makes us happy and therefore Christ saith He that loves his life before God and a good cause hates it and hee that hates his life when Christ cals for it loves it for hee hath a better life in him wee give nothing to God but hee returns it a thousand times better than we gave it Let us yeeld our lives to him wee shall have them in heaven if they be taken away on earth Hee will give us our goods a thousand sold we shall have more favour in God then in any Creature and therefore a Christian out of this ground commits himselfe to God though hee foresee never so much danger like to fall upon him Againe if we doe in deed and not in pretence commit our selves to God as to a faithfull Creator we will not limit his Majesty as many carnall hearts doe oh if God will do so and so for them then they would trust him if they had but so much to live on a yeare and s●ch commings in c. then they would depend upon God but they must have a pawne and so much in hand first What a shame is it that wee should trust the vilest man in the world as farre as wee see him and yet unlesse wee have somewhat to leane on we will not trust God Beloved when a man limits God in any thing such a one may talke but hee trusts him not at all Indeed wee should indent with God and tie him to looke to the salvation of our soules but for other things leave them to his owne wisedome both for the time for the manner and measure doe what hee will with us Suppose it come to the Crosse hath hee not done greater matters for us why then should we distrust him in lesser If times come that Religion flourish or goes downward yet relye on him still hath hee not given his Sonne to us and will hee not give heaven also Why doe wee limit the holy One of Israel and not cast our selves upon him except hee will covenant to deale thus and thus with us A true Christian hath his eye alwayes heaven-ward and thinkes nothing too good for God O Lord saith he of thee I have received this life this estate this credit and reputation in the world I have what I have and am what I am of thee and therefore I yeeld all to thee backe againe If thou wilt serve thy selfe of my wealth of my selfe of my strength thou shalt have it If

former times when God judged them wee may well expect the same fearfull judgments to fall upon us Vnfruitfulnes threatneth a judgment upon a people when God hath bestowed a great deale of cost and time hee lookes wee should answer his expectation in some measure The figge tree in the Gospell had some respite given it by reason of the prayers of the vine dresser but afterward when it brought forth no fruite it was cut downe and cast into the fire Beloved who amongst us would indure a barren tree in his Garden That which is not fit for fruit is most fit for fire wee can indure a barren tree in the Wildernesse but not in our Orchards when God the great husbandman of his Church sees that upon so great and continual cost be stowed upon us wee remaine yet unfruitfull he will not suffer us long to cumber the ground of his Church Againe decay in our first love is a signe of judgement approaching God threatned the Church of Ephesus to remove his Candlestick from among them for their decay in their first love that having surfetted of plenty and peace he might recover her tast by dyeting of her decay in love proceeds from disesteeme in judgement and God cannot endure his glorious Gospel should be slighted as not deserving the richest streyne of our love the Lord takes it better where there is but little strength and a striving to be better then when there is great meanes of grace and knowledge and no growth answerable but rather a declining in goodnesse I beseech you lay these things to heart The Lord is much displeased when Christians are not so zealous as they should be when there is not that sweet communion of Saints among them to strengthen and incourage one another in the waies of holinesse as there might be when there is not a beauty in their profession to allure and draw on others to a love liking of the best things when there is not a care to avoid all scandalls that may weaken respect to good things and bring an evill report on the waies of God when they labour not with their whole hearts to serve the Lord in a cheerefull manner c. The very not serving God answerable to encouragements is a certaine signe of ensuing danger Therefore I beseech you let us looke about us whether these be not the times wherein wee live that judgement must begin at the house of God The Lord complaines in Ieremy that the Turtle and other silly creatures knew the time of their standing and removing but his people did not know his judgements Doe the creatures know their times and seasons and shall Christ complaine that we know not the day of our visitation what a shame is this I beseech you let us know and consider our times If wee have a time of sinning God will have a time of punishing And have wee not just cause to feare that judgement is not sarre from us when wee see a great part of Gods house on fire already in our neighbouring Countryes wee have had lesser judgements and they have not wrought kindly with us wee neede a stronger purge If wee looke to the carriage of men what sinne is lesse committed now then formerly How few renew their covenant with God in sincerity of Resolution to walke closely with him And what the judgement will be wee may probably foresee for usually the last judgement is the worst wee have had all but warre the worst of all for in other judgements wee have to deale with God but in this wee are to deale with men whose very mereyes are cruelti●s The sword hath a long time been shaken over our heads a cloud of warre hath hung over us to affright us but we rest still secure in our sinfull courses and thinke to morrow shall be as to day and that no evill shall come nigh us c. Oh the frozen hearts of Christians that thrust the evill day farre from them doe wee not see the whole world in a manner in a combustion round about us and wee as the three young men in the fiery furnace untouched Beloved we have out-stripped them in abhominable wickednesses and however the Lord is pleased that wee should onely heare a noyse and rumour of warre yet wee in this Land have deserved to drinke as deepe of the cup of the Lords wrath as any people under heaven What course should we take to prevent the Judgement of God and keepe it from us Labour to meete God by speedy repentance before any decree be peremptorily come forth against us As yet there is hope to prevaile For blessed be God as wee have many things to feare so we have many things to incourage us to goe unto God with comfort wee have enjoyed a succession of gracious Princes that have maintained the truth of God amongst us wee have many godly Magistrates and Ministers together with the Ordinances many other experience of Gods love vouchsafed unto us We have yet time to seck the Lord let us not deferre till the very time of judgement come upon us for that is but selfe love Assure thy selfe thus much thou canst have no more comfort in troubles and afflictions when they doe come then thou hast care to prevent them before they come answerable to our care in preventing now will be our comfort then Therefore if wee would be bid in the day of Gods wrath if wee would have God to set his marke upon us and write us in his booke of Remembrance and to gather us when hee makes up his jewels If wee would have him to owne us then looke to it now Get now into Christ be provided now of a sound profession of Religion and that will be as an Arke to shelter us in the evill day What wee know let us doe and then wee shall be built on a Rocke that if waves or any thing come wee shall not be stirred Usually God in dangerous times leaveth some ground of hope which worketh differently with men Such as are carnall grow presumptuous hereupon but the Godly are drawne neerer to God upon any appearance of incouragement the good things they injoy from God worke in them a more earnest desire to please him It is the custome of the spirit of God to make doubtfull imperfect and as it were halfe promises to keepe his people still under some hope whence we reade of these and such like phrases in Scripture It may be God will shew mercy and Who knoweth whether he will heare us c. Againe examine and try upon what ground thou professest Religion whether it will hold water or no and stand thee in steade when evill times shall come Beloved it neerely concernes us all seriously to consider and narrowly to search upon what grounds wee venture our lives and soules try graces our knowledg repentance faith love c. of what metall they are